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Indo-US talks on in Delhi, Pakistan's tricks in Kashmir may figure

The third round of the Indo-US dialogue on nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament, regional and international issues began in New Delhi on Monday morning.

India is being represented by Planning Commission deputy chairman Jaswant Singh, who is Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's special emissary, and the United States by Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott.

The talks are being held amid ''cautious optimism on both sides''. Official sources said India was going into talks with an ''open and positive mind''. New Delhi would obviously highlight its security concerns and Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir during talks.

This is the third meeting between Singh and Talbott since India conducted nuclear tests in May. They had met last month in Washington, followed by another meeting in Frankfurt earlier this month.

Both these meetings have been held under a veil of secrecy with the two sides maintaining that making anything public would hamper the progress of talks.

Talbott is being assisted by Deputy Assistant Secretary for Non-Proliferation in the State Department, Robert Einhorn, senior advisor in the National Security Council Bruce Reidel, vice-chief of the joint chiefs of staff General Joseph Ralston, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Karl F Inderfurth and senior career diplomat Matt Daley.

The Indian side includes Foreign Secretary K Raghunath and senior officals at the defence and external affairs ministries.

After his talks with Singh, Talbott is scheduled to meet Vajpayee and Home Minister L K Advani.

The US delegation will leave for Islamabad on Tuesday to have talks with Pakistan, which has indicated its willingness to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, even without India subscribing to it.

The US position is that India must sign the CTBT without any conditions while New Delhi's consistent stand has been that the treaty is discriminatory in its present form.

It is understood that the US would again ask India to sign the CTBT without any pre-conditions. However, the US side has gradually started appreciating India's security concerns and these would be further highlighted by India during the Delhi talks.

India has already declared that it was willing to convert its voluntary moratorium on further nuclear tests into a de jure obligation. It has also suggested that the US lift the ban on the transfer of dual technology.

New Delhi would obviously refer to the steps taken by it to resume the bilateral dialogue with Pakistan to resolve all outstanding issues. In this connection, Singh will speak of next week's meeting between the prime ministers of India and Pakistan on the sidelines of the SAARC summit in Colombo.

Talbott's visit to New Delhi comes close on the heels of the US Senate's decision to empower President Bill Clinton to lift up to one year the sanctions imposed against India and Pakistan.

A change in the US stand towards India was in evidence on Friday when Richard Celeste, the US ambassador to India,, met Advani and discussed various issues of mutual concern.

Earlier, Talbott arrived in New Delhi on Sunday evening by a special US Air Force aircraft. Talbott and his delegation were received at the airport by Celeste and Mukta Tomar, director (US desk) at the external affairs ministry.

Talbott is the first high-ranking US official to visit India since the nuclear tests in May. He and his delegation are scheduled to attend a lunch on Monday hosted by Minister of State for External Affairs Vasundhara Raje.

UNI

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